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Friday, September 2nd, 2016
FFDM Vintage Classics: This bedroom balances the beauty of wood, glass, white sheets and pillows, as well as art.
Just like marriage, you also need to find out if the interior designer that you’re about to hire is a good fit. Find out your style then let this expert help you; but before you sit down and discuss your design project with your choice, there’s that phase when you need to thoroughly get to know this person.
Step One: Know Your Designer’s Style
It is crucial to know your style but it is also equally important to know the interior designer’s signature style. If the portfolio that he or she shows is filled with traditional design, then you should think twice before you propose a modern home project.
Step Two: Look Through Numerous Portfolios
Let’s say that you already know what you are looking for and that you are now targeting a handful of designers. Try to see who among them share your design preferences. Look through several portfolios and imagine yourself living or staying in one of the spaces that they designed.
Step Three: Set Up a Budget
It is important to find out how much you are willing to spend before you begin your construction or remodel. There are designers who ask for a fixed fee while others ask for an hourly payment. These are factors that you need to consider when narrowing down your list of candidates.
Step Four: Schedule a Meet-Up
As soon as you have narrowed down your list to just a name or three, then it’s time to meet these experts face to face. Majority of interior designers do not charge for this session but it would also be great if you ask about it as you set up the appointment over the phone.
Hooker Furniture Home Office 42-in Leg Desk provides the perfect contrast to the whitewashed surroundings.
As you sit down with candidates, ask for references whom you can contact. This is so you would be able to gauge the designer’s capacity through his or her past works. Ask about costs that are specific to your project, how long it would take before the project is completed, and just about any question that you could come up with.
Think of specific questions then write everything that you both have discussed on a sheet of paper.
Step Six: Be Open-Minded
It is rare for clients to love every bit of element that the designer used on a project. Even if the two of you have the exact same style, you still need to prepare for that moment when you won’t agree on a certain detail. Always keep an open mind and don’t immediately close your mind to what your designer is suggesting. Give his or her idea a chance.
Make sure, though, that this expert is not pushing you to make any decisions. Suggestions can be made so you have to be open to other ideas.
Step Seven: Compare Your Notes
When you’re done meeting with the designers, it’s time to compare all the notes that you made. Compare the numbers (estimates) that these experts have provided, their references (past projects), and whether or not you click as a working team. Always keep in mind that the cheaper or priciest option may not always be the right and best choice.
You can only sign the contract as soon as you know who you would hire. You should know how much you would pay, what responsibilities you would give to the designer, the timeline, and your budgetary limits.
Step Nine: Create a Plan
Now is the time to go about with your plan of attack. Know where you would begin. Several rooms may need to be redesigned so find out which materials you would soon buy. Choose with the help of your designer.
Modify the plan if needs be.
Tags: finding interior designers, hiring an interior designer, how to find an interior designer, interior designer characteristics, interior designer interview, interviewing interior designers, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, tips
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Tuesday, August 16th, 2016
FFDM American Cherry
If this is something that you still haven’t considered, then it’s time that you seriously give it much thought – hiring an interior designer is the smartest decision that you can make when it comes to beautifying your home.
Interior designers serve a lot of purpose for current and would-be homeowners. Whether the homeowner knows where to begin or not, these experts can help conjure design ideas where there were none and can execute a long-desired plan.
If you’re too busy to take on a DIY interior design project, then know that there are a lot of benefits if you hire a professional to do the task instead.
Much Savings
You might find it unbelievable that hiring a designer could help save you money yet there are costly mistakes that can add to the ever-growing expense. Hiring a pro becomes much more crucial when you’re prepping your home that’s about to be sold. This move can help you boost buyer appeal and could potentially make your home stand out from competition.
An Expert Assessment
An interior designer can offer professional assessment. This initial assessment would eventually lead to a workable plan. An interior designer will know what order to follow during the entire project duration. In essence, you are hiring an extra pair of eyes that is well-trained to notice stuff that you won’t even imagine being there.
An interior designer is also trained to keep the project within budget. You get to save time and effort since this expert knows suppliers and other contacts that will make your home project more successful.
A Willing Middle Man
An interior designer would be better able to act as a liaison officer between you and the contractor or architect. This is important in time and money management. Every interior designer has been trained to scrutinize all the things that you might overlook. Furnishing and lighting needs should be addressed prior to the beginning of the project. Furniture placement can affect the eventual locations of the floor outlet; this is an example of professional assessments that are missed by DIY enthusiasts.
FFDM Viniterra Collection
Numerous Resources
There are many things that are readily available to interior designers that the public are not even familiar with. In short, they have connections that not a lot of people have. Making use of these resources and merchandise can help make the place look more collected and pulled together. Apart from the vendor resources, designers also have a lot of industry contacts. They can save you from headaches caused by problematic contractors, plumbers, electricians, etc.
Interviewing the right interior designer also means you should ask the right questions. Here are some of the most asked interview questions –
Tags: benefits of having an interior designer, benefits of hiring a contractor, finding an interior designer, how to find an interior designer, interior designer benefits, interior designer interview, interviewing an interior designer, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings
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Friday, July 29th, 2016
1586-80151A-GRY1 Lulu Shaped Console Table 4056CR Henry Exposed Wood: Achieving this look is easy if you know which design elements to balance. Don’t know what to do? Hire an expert.
A lot of residential contractors take on design projects here and there usually with the cooperation of the homeowner. The latter could bring photos, sketches, even tear-outs from interior design magazines or books. This is true when it comes to remodeling where the design choices are constrained by some pre-existing circumstances.
Technically speaking, design contractors provide the design-build services yet they are not referred to as design builders. They also do not charge separately for their design project so long as this is not a line item on their estimate.
On bigger home remodels, though, a lot of contractors prefer to work off another person’s plan unless design is a part of their service. Still some allow homeowners to terminate the contract right after the design stage, allowing you to make use of another contractor’s plans. This is a crucial choice that you would want to see in your contract. Contracts may offer discounts if you would be working with the same contractor during construction.
There are various approaches to design-build bidding as well as contracts. A lot of design-build companies work through negotiated bid since they don’t generally put out the plans to different contractors for bidding. In this case, a contractor will share a portion of the costs with the homeowner and would negotiate a fee (whether hourly, by percentage or fixed) for the services that they offer.
Choosing the Right Design-Build Contractor
If you are hiring a designer and a contractor which is the same person, you need to ask the kind of questions that you would ask an architect/designer and the contractor. When you evaluate a company, be sure to separate the construction from the design side. This is because you might like their design projects but not their construction ones.
Talk to people from the design team and ask about how they work together during the design stage. See how they have previously worked with clients and how they charge for their designs. As to the construction side, ask questions that you would ask a general contractor.
Ask for references then ask their previous clients regarding the design and building phases. You need to know what went well, what surprises or problems came up, any cost overruns and how they were handled, and how much the clients eventually liked the project.
Another important thing to remember is the total cost of the project and a breakdown of the fees.
Make it a point to have the design company take full responsibility of the mistakes should anything happen. Have this stipulated in the contract.
Hooker Furniture Home Office
Advantages of Hiring a Design-Build Contractor
The greatest things that you will enjoy when you hire a design-build contractor are the same advantages that you get from a general contractor. You also get to simplify the process by hiring a one-stop-shop for construction and design.
Hiring just one company for design and construction means you save significantly. There will also be no disputes between the design and construction departments since they are technically in the same department.
You get to have more design freedom when you deal with just one company. Here, you can control the specs such as the fixtures that you use, finishes and mechanical equipment.
Lastly, find a reputable design-build contractor. He should also be someone who you would like to work with. You would also be likely to save money if you hire a single expert rather than a team of professionals. Make sure also that you keep the plans that you would work with so you can still use them with another contractor (should the need for another expert arise).
Tags: benefits of having an interior designer, design contractor, design-build contractor, finding an interior designer, hiring an interior designer, how to find an interior designer, how to hire an interior designer, interior design contractor, McCreerys, McCreerys Home Furnishings, tips, working with interior designers
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